This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Friday, January 31, 2014

Nigra Mors are a band from Italy that plays a very raw form of occult black metal and this is a review of their self titled 2014 ep which was released by Lupus Niger.

The ep starts out with a slow, dark and heavy sound along with all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound to them before going into a more dark black metal direction as well as adding in fast parts that have a thrash feeling to them along with grim vocals which also have a ritualistic edge to them.

As the ep moves on old school underground metal solos are added into the music along with blast beats and they bring this unholy assault to other songs as well along with some early 90s style black metal melodies as well as a brief use of spoken word parts and the vocals utilizing a more depressive tone at times and at other times you can hear some deep demonic growls.

With this ep Nigra Mors take the old school occult black metla sound and add in a small amount of underground thrash influences and create a sound that is very dark and raw along with a good amount of fast parts and unholy aggression.

Song lyrics are written in Italian and cover occult themes, while the production has a very dark, raw and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Nigra Mors are a very great sounding dark and raw occult black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Mater Lacrimarum". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

1.Can you give us an introduction to the band for those that will be hearing of you for the first time?

Arathgoth! This is the name of the only musician of this project of Dungeon synth, dark ambient and atmospheric black metal! So there is no group but one musician : who I am does not matter. I live in the musical world that I’ve created and that is the foundation of my existence !

2.How would you describe the musical sound of all 4 of the albums and also how do they differ from each other?

I’ve started with Medieval Dungeon Synth for “the season of ashes” then I've lost myself in space and Science Fiction with “Interplanetary Travel”. After that, I was proud of “Man With No Fate” because it sounded exactly like what I had in mind. Finally, “Brutal Winter” was made in 2 times : first, the synth tracks inspired by winter and, then, the black metal ones inspired a lot by Conan The Cimmerian.

3.The earlier albums where more dungeon synth but the new one is more black metal influenced, what was the decision behind going into this direction and also will this direction continue on future releases?

I’m a guitar player so I wished to put guitars and vocals.. and by the way, I was angry at that time ;)

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the themes you explored with the synth albums and also what style of lyrics did you use on the black metal recordings?

I often imagine an adventure or a feeling and I try to express that into music. Very often, this is sad or melancholic emotions, sometimes anger but never hate ! I’m inspired by what I felt when I read a book or watch movies. For the lyrics, I’m a fan of Conan from Robert E Howard. In fact, there is a song “ the deadly night “ which is about a short story of Conan “The Lair Of The Ice Worm”. “Brutal Winter” takes some parts of a poeme from Robert E Howard and “Gods of the North” is inspired by the short story “The Frost Giants Daugther”. About the 2 others : “Lost in the blizzard” is about my anger and my will of going behond my limits and “Pale Moon” is about loneliness and the fact that, at the end, we’re always alone.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Arathgoth?

I’ve created this character to illustrate my musical world. The name came by itself, without thinking !

6.Currently there is only 1 member in the band, do you see the line up expanding in the future or do you chose to remain solo?

Maybe… it’ll depends of the opportunity. On Brutal Winter, there is a bonus track made with Mystic Demonia, a friend of mine. I stay open to collaboration.

7.You have put out 4 albums in less than 2 years, would you say that music takes up most of your time?

Music takes time. To compose an album takes more than one day and, sometimes, it is hard to deal with music and everyday life at the same time. But I always have a bit of music in my head !

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and dungeon synth?

Right now I only have positive feedback. This is also what makes want to go further ! In “Brutal Winter” I tried to put some black metal elements in my music, we’ll see where it goes…

9.When can we expect the next album?

Maybe during spring or this summer ! I’m still trying to find a new direction but I think it will be more black metal with some atmospheric parts. I don’t really like doing the same thing again and again.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an infleunce on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I’ve been influenced a lot in my youth by movie soundtracks such as : Dune, Willow, Dark Crystal, Star Trek, 2001 space odyssey, etc. Later I came to metal music. I’m also a huge fan of John Carpenters soundtrack et the OST of Conan by Polidoris, remains one of my favorite soundtrack. A part of that, I’m listening to metal, black metal and affiliate (Burzum, Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, Summoning), dungeon synth, indus and electro… I also like Ministry, Nine Inch Nails… I’m searching inspiration in litteratute and Nordic culture.

11.Does paganism play any role in your music?

Not really. The cultural aspect of paganism is interesting… However I’m not affiliate to any religion nor political movement.

12.Do you have any non musical interests?

No, the music takes all my free time. It's a passion!

13.Before we wrap up this album do you have any final words or thoughts?

like my music or go to hell ! ( just kidding : Hell would be a great place to appreciate my music ;) )

This is a review of a joint album between U.S.A's Sunn 0)) and Norway's Ulver who teamed up together to create an experimental sounding album with the recording being released by Southern lord in 2014 and called "Terrestials".

The album starts out with experimental sounding drones and noises and after a couple of minutes elements of ambient are added onto the recording as well as saxophones which leads up to drums 5 minutes later as well as a more doom metal orientated sound which brings in the introduction of bass guitars.

As the album progresses the music gets a lot more darker, experimental and heavy and you can also hear synths in certain sections of the recording along with traces of psychedelia and after awhile a brief use of clean and acoustic guitars make their way onto the album and on the last song there is a brief use of melodic clean singing vocals being utilized.

On this album Sunn 0)) and Ulver team up to create a more experimental drone and while Ulver started out as black metal and Sunn 0))) experimented with it in the past there are no traces of that genre on this recording but it still has a very dark and ritualistic sound to it.

Song lyrics are mostly absent from this album with the music being mostly instrumental but the short amount they have cover poetic themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful and professional sound with all 3 of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is a very great sounding joint effort between Sunn 0)) and Ulver and if you are a fan of experimental, dark ambient and drone, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Western Horn". 8 out of 10.

Den Saakaldte are a band from Norway that plays a very experimental and depressive from of black metal and this is a review of their 2008 demo "morke Og Depresjon" which was re-issued on limited edition cassette by Bylec Tum in 2014.

The ep starts out with ambient sounding synths, drones and experimental sounds and after the intro the music goes into a more experimental black metal direction along with saxophones and then it goes more into a more straight forward and old school direction and brings in grim screams and vocals.

As the demo progresses more fast parts, melody and depressive elements are brought into the music as well as some clean parts and melodic vocals being added into certain sections of the recording as well as retaining the experimental and avant garde parts and on other songs you can also hear a small amount of death metal growls.

After awhile acoustic guitars are brought into the music along with melodic guitar leads and on every song they bring in a different sound as well as having an instrumental which continues the ambient sounds of the intro as well as bringing in a classical music feeling and then the demo goes back into a heavier yet still experimental direction

On this demo Den Saalkaldte show a great amount of diversity and they take influences from the traditional, melodic and depressive forms of black metal and mix them in win avant garde and experimental elements to create a sound of their own.

Song lyrics are written in Norwegian and cover depressive themes, while the production has a very dark, raw and heavy sound along with the bass guitars being mixed down low in the mix as well as some of the songs being very long and epic in length and the last 2 songs are bonus tracks, one being a 2006 demo track and the other a live track from 2009.

In my opinion Den Saakaldte are a very great sounding experimental, depressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this cassette. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Drikke Ens Skal" "Ode" and "Mesias". 8/5 out of 10.

Monday, January 27, 2014

First of all our whole collective would like to thank you for your interest in our band.

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
In the time that we should be taking a break, we decided to take own steps in promoting the new album in any way we can. For now we keep all communication channels open and keep ourselves busy.
Last few rehearsals we were working on new stuff for 2015. For now we are busy with assisting our label with all the needed preparations for the release of “Power Through Unity”.

2.You have a new album coming out early this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction that you have taken with the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous demo?
We wanted to take the demo a few steps further towards a more defined sound that is dominated by low depressive tones, yet still very pronounced. Our EP “Holodomor” is more in the direction of “early” work of THE COMMITTEE stretching back to 2007. The full album tends to be more uniform with the lyrics and the story of the whole album. There's more black metal influences that dominate the palette. This was not intentional, but came as a result of combination of different factors to create a unity of music and feeling. We all have different musical influences which we try to combine and experiment with. What came out of our collaboration seems to be black metal for the most part.

3.I have read that this band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind forming a full line up?
It happened by accident. Our drummer heard the raw unfinished pieces one day and took interest in the whole project. He found it to be worthy of his time and saw a future in it. After that moment it only took a short time before our guitarist and bass player joined the ranks. You can say that they were a bit intrigued by the strange concept. Now however, they play very specific roles inside the band. Our full album could not have been written without them. I could never achieve this kind of music on my own. The different input from our members is what makes our music come to life.

4.The lyrics cover Occultism, History and Conspiracy Theories, can you tell us a little bit more about your interests in these topics?
Strangely enough it's not only my interest. All of the 4 members take interest in these topics.
Because I don't follow the modern media, I like reading and researching strange bizarre things and events. Being blessed with the opportunity to see life in the West and in the East, I can assure you that we are never told the whole story about what happens around us. Only the top of the ice berg is visible. I don't like the word: conspiracy theory. I think in “pragmatic” terms. If we can put our moral judgement and emotions aside, we can see that the whole time there are conflicts of interest happening parallel to life's events. I feel that nothing is happening by accident. I like to educate myself to read between the lines and to see who benefits from those big nasty events that could have been “conspired” against us all. People are not stupid. They know that those empty and loud words like “freedom” and “democracy” are not fooling anyone anymore. I'm very happy to see that our fans understand us.
I like history too. And I'm simply amazed by how many times it repeats itself. The new album for example is an “alternative” view of history where opposing sides reconcile their difference because they see who benefits from their mutual slaughter.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Committee'?
The Committee is a group of people who handle their affairs as one unit. Without a hunger for fame and yearning for good life. Only the music and the message is important. The Committee is us and it's our fans. It's amorphous, liquid and adaptive. It has no central structure and no rigid rules and systems. It is something that every one of our fans can see in themselves. I see the name not as an institution, but as one unit.

6.The band members all come from different countries, how do you get together to create and write music together?
We all live in one country for the moment. 2 of our members have roots in different countries. And other 2 are actually born in different countries. This is not as uncommon as it might seem. Underground black metal scene is quite diverse and many nationalities are ever present during shows and festivals. It was almost unavoidable to end up with the team we have now.

7.You have a show scheduled for a festival in Germany this year, is this going to be your first show or has the band done any live shows in the past?
The German show on the UNDER THE BLACK SUN festival is our first ever live performance. This show is arranged by FOLTER RECORDS. We are simply amazed by this fact. Right now negotiations are conducted in order to organise a release show in Belgium to announce our new album. We are very honoured to play in the country that we visit many times every year to see our favourite bands. For the gig in Germany I am learning to speak German for easier communication with our fans.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Simply put; We were blown away by the amount of positive feedback! We were not prepared for this at all. It toppled on us like an wave. Up to this day I cannot thank our fans enough for spreading the word of THE COMMITTEE. We keep our channels of communication open at all times and the news and feedback is pouring in every day. We put our fans above everything and their words have kept us going to do even more. It was due to their request, that we decided to play live.

9.Where do you see the band heading into music wise during the future?
For now we are brainstorming for the new full length album due in 2015 and will be concentrating more on live shows. We have planned 2 full albums ahead and will be delivering on our promise. It's hard to say how we will be accepted as a live band, but our predictions are positive. My goal is to have this conversation again after a few years and evaluate how everything has evolved. For now we will be working hard to spread our music and surprise our fans with new concepts and future releases.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The strangest thing is that ALL of our 4 members have their own genres that they like. It ranges from Old Skool Black and Death metal to heavy metal and even old skool 70's rock. We like to get back to the roots of metal sometimes and hear the pioneers from the past.
Right now I'm quite obsessed by Winterfylleth, Mgla, Urgehal and Tsjuder. However I like to sneak a few albums of Black Sabbath and W.A.S.P to the rehearsals once in a while.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?
Yes off course. For now my interests are: learning new languages, traveling, nature exploration, applied psychology and sociology, reading, writing and fine cuisine. Our members off course have their separate passions that they pursue daily.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Once again I would like to thank you for this interview and especially want to thank the German ( and world wide ) metal fans who believe in us and support us. It’s been a very interesting development.

Astaroth are a band from Norway that plays a satanic and occult form of black metal with elements of death metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Chaosatanas" which was released by Polypus Records.

The ep starts out with an intro which uses clean guitars and atmospheric sounds and after the intro the music remains in a clean direction for awhile before getting heavier and more atmospheric along with grim black metal screams which also leads to a faster direction along with blast beats as well as mixing slow and fast parts together as well as bringing in dark sounding melodies.

As the album progresses the music gets more diverse and you can hear the clean parts making their returns at times as well as having melodic guitars leads being added into the music along with a mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts as well as a blackened death metal edge being utilized at times which also leads up to brutal sounding blast beats.

When we get more into the album the music goes more a more dark and evil direction along with fast bass guitars and this is probably the darkest album i have ever heard from a Norwegian band and there is also a brief use of deeper vocals being utilized on one song and on the outro synths are brought in to bring a dark closing to the record.

With this recording Astaroth bring out a very dark and evil sound with their approach to satanic, occult black metal while being rooted in true black metal the music also has a great amount of melody and death metal influences.

Song lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism, The Dark Side of the Qabalah and Left hand Path themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Astaroth are a very great sounding satanic, occult black metal band with traces of death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Qliphoth" "Xeper I Apep" "World Enslaved". 9 out of 10.

This is a review of another recording from Conjuro Nuclear which continues their mixture of black metal, crust and dark ambient with the album being self released in 2013 and called "Luna Ilena Ilena Y Radiacion".

The album starts out with an intro which is more in the synth pop/new wave direction along with atmospheric and ambient elements and after the intro the music goes into a more old school black metal direction along with grim screams as well as maintaining an atmospheric background and when they bring in leads they have a post black metal feeling to them which also lead up to blast beats.

As the ep progresses it starts bringing in slow heavy parts that also bring in a doom metal influence while also keeping around the atmospheric black metal elements which also leads to the band bringing in psychedelic sounds and after awhile crustcore influences and d beats are added onto the record which also leads to the bass guitars having a more powerful sound to them.

With every song that is present on this album the band brings a different sound to them one minute the music will be soft and experimental and then it goes into a more raw and old school black metal direction and unlike a lot of bands that are experimental the band keeps a more raw approach to the black metal elements and on the last song you can also hear traces of dark dungeon synth music.

With this album Conjuro Nuclear bring in a great amount of diversity and originality while their music is more based on old school black metal they make things more interesting by bringing in parts of crust, doom, psych, ambient, synth pop and new wave to create an album t hat is very original but still having true black metal elements.

Song lyrics are written in Spanish and cover Apocalypse and Nightmare themes, while the production has a very dark, raw, heavy and old school sound while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on t his recording.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Conjuro Nuclear and if you are a fan of black metal that is not afraid to experiment ore be original, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Luna Ilena Y Radiacion" "Pesadillas Fractales" and "Suenos De Destruccion". 9 out of 10.

Conjuro Nuclear are a band from Spain that plays black metal with elements of crust and dark ambient and this is a review of their self released 2013 ep "Bosque de Craneros".

The ep starts out with dark synth pop sounds which also bring in elements of ambient and after a minute raw black metal guitar riffs make their way into the music along with melodic leads and on the second song crust influences and grim screams make their way into the ep as well as the music getting more up beat.

As the ep progresses it has an old school black metal sound but with elements of crust and you can hear atmospheric sounds in the background and the music is also not afraid to experiment and they also bring a different sound to every song and at times you can also hear psychedelic sounds being added in.

On this ep Conjuro Nuclear show a great amount of diversity at times when they are in a softer mode they have a new wave/synth pop meets ambient feeling while the heavier parts combine old school black metal and crust.

Song lyrics are written in Spanish and cover dark themes, while the production has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Conjuro Nuclear are a very great sounding mixture of black metal, crust and dark ambient and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "II" and "III". 8 out of 10.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sado Sathanas are a band from Germany that plays a satanic and occult form form of black metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "Homos Hamartia" which will be released by Naturmacht productions.

The album starts out with dark ritualistic ambient sounds before going into a fast and melodic black metal direction which leads up to dark and grim vocals along with a mixture of mid paced and fast parts while also adding in slower elements at times along with acoustic guitars and synths but mostly sticking to a heavier direction as well as bringing in blast beats at times and high pitched screams and in certain parts you can hear melodic chanting in the background.

As the album moves on the music brings a progressive approach to occult black metal as well as being heavy, dark and atmospheric all at the same time and the vocals also have a melodic tone to them at times without losing the grim approach and you can also hear a great amount of melody in the music.

With each song the band brings to the album they all sound different from each other and at times you can hear the bass guitars along with the music having some very fast and heavy parts in certain sections of the record.

On this album Sado Sathanas bring a very original sound to satanic and occult black metal with their ability to write some fast and heavy stuff while also bringing in a great amount of atmosphere and melody along with progressive and epic elements and this is probably going to be another great highlight of black metal in the year of 2014.

Song lyrics cover the relation and interchanges between rules and freedom, the law(order) and the spirit(Chaos, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy, dark and professional sound along with most of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion Sado Sathanas are a very great original sounding satanic, occult black metal band with a great amount of diversity and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Nomos Hamatia" "P.A.N Demonia" and "Codex Diaboli". 9 out of 10.

Agael are a 1 man band from Germany that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style I would describe as being a raw and atmospheric form of black metal with elements of dark ambient and this is a review of his 2014 album "Trost" which will be released by Naturmacht Productions.

The album starts out with dark ambient sounds and synths which leads up to melodic female vocals and a few seconds later the music goes into a more melodic black metal direction along with grim screams which also use have a very depressive tone to them at times as well as bring in a dark and melancholic atmosphere as well as using a mixture of clean and heavy parts which also leads up to melodic guitar solos.

As the album continues the music remains in a dark and melancholic direction combining soft atmospheres with raw black metal and clean singing gothic male vocals are also added into the music at times as well as a brief use of spoken word parts and on other songs you can also hear traces of melodic doom metal and the recording also takes a slow pace from beginning to end and on one song there is a brief use of deep growls along with a small amount of acoustic guitars.

On this album Agael take some melancholic sounding ambient elements and mix it win with atmospheric black metal as well as a small amount of gothic and doom metal to create an album that is very dark and melodic as well as having a great amount of variety and diversity.

Song lyrics are written in German and cover dark and poetic themes, while the production has a very raw, dark and heavy sound along with some of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding album from Agael and if you are a fan of melodic, atmospheric melancholic black metal with elements of dark ambient, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sternenklang" "Ewige Heimkehr" and "Trost". 8/5 out of 10.

Primitive Graven Image are a band from the United Kingdom that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style I would describe as being a heavy and melodic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Traversing The Awesome Night" which was released by UKEM Records.

The album starts out with fast and heavy black metal guitar riffs along with drums and grim screams and after awhile the music speeds up along with brutal sounding blast beats as well as mixing mid paced and fast parts together as well as bringing in atmospheric synths.

As the album continues the band stick to a modern Norwegian style black metal direction while also adding in thrash influences and melody which also have a 90's Swedish feeling to them and as the recording progresses old school solos are added into the music along with melodic clean singing shortly after that.

When we get more into the album the screams start sounding more high pitched and evil as well as the fast parts becoming grimmer while the music does not forgot its melodic roots and there is a lot of diversity being utilized in the songs and on the short instrumental there is a classical orchestra music feeling which brings epic like elements to the recording and then the band return back to a heavy and melodic direction.

On this recording Primitive Graven Image show that they have grown a lot as musicians over the years and this album is very diverse with the way they mix speed, heaviness, grimness, darkness, atmosphere and melody together to create a very diverse record.

Song lyrics cover darkness, nature and fantasy themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound along with the bass guitars being mixed down low in the mix.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Primitive Graven Image and if you like your black metal heavy, dark and melodic, you should check out this album> RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Bringer Of Light And Dark" "Fear And Fire" "None Shall Stand" and "Blood Red Heart". 9 out of 10.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?1. Avulse started back in 2009. I've released 3 Albums, 2 EPs, A split and a demo in that time. 2. How would you describe your musical sound?2. Musically, it straddles the line between punk and black metal, although with a more atmospheric approach.3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?3. I tend to sing about resistance, things that are fucked up and why they have to be there. Also about my struggles with alcohol.4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?4. Avulse means to Tear or to rip, so its fitting with the music i feel.5. Currently there is only 1 member in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?5. I might get a live line up, but this is me and me alone for all recording6. I have read that you run the record label The First Church Of The Left Hand Path, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?6. Ugh no. 7.On a world wide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and punk?7. People seem to be receptive to it. Mostly its love it or hate it, no middle fucking ground.8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?8. Auspicium is getting ready for the ten year anniversary, maybe a new album by the years end? Black Chalice just put out a new record, Obsidian. Field of Spears put out a new LP and Wholy Failure continues to weird everyone out.9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?9. Its probably gonna be more of the same. hah10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?10. Specificly to Avulse? Poison Idea, Darkthrone, Sheer Terror, Burzum, Slapshot.11. How would you describe your views on Occultism?11. Eh its a cool hobby and definitely interesting as hell to read about, but I am definitely a rationalist and don't expand my interest into the practical. 12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?12. If im not working, you'll find me on the water, walking on the shore or fishing.13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?13. "If you dont listen to manowar than you are afraid of yourself!"

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Alghazanth are a band from Finland that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style on this album I would describe as being a melodic form of satanic, occult black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "The three Faced Pilgrim" which was released by Inverse Records.

The album starts out with some old school black metal guitar riffs, drums and synths along with blast beats and grim screams and after a couple of minutes melodic leads become a part of the music as well as acoustic guitars while still sticking to mostly a heavier sound.

As the album progresses the music s ticks to a more old school melodic black metal direction while being darker than most bands of this musical genre and growls are added into the music in certain sections of the album and all of the musical instruments can be heard on this recording and they alternate quite a bit between slow and fast parts.

On this album Alghazanth have changed their sound around quite a bit and the guitars have more power on this album than the synths which over powered their earlier stuff and they have more of a traditional and old school approach to black metal these days.

Song lyrics cover Darkness and Occultism themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, dark and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording as well as the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Alghazanth and if you are a fan of this band, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Promethean Permutation" and "AdraMelek Taus". 8 out of 10.

Vorna are a band from Finland that plays black metal with elements of folk and rock music and this is a review of their 2013 album "Ajastaika" which was released by Inverse Records.

The album starts out with an intro which uses nature sounds and then go into a more pagan black metal direction on the first song as well as bringing in melodic vocals, bass, and solos as well as synths which lead up to grim screams and then the band mix folk with the heavier parts and they also introduce death metal growls and blast beats.

As the album progresses the band also bring in epic elements along with some faster parts and the synths start bringing in orchestras elements and you can hear tribal parts being utilized in the drums at times as well as the death metal influences getting a lot more stronger and when acoustic guitars are brought in they bring in a medieval feeling to the recording.

When we get farther into the album folk instruments are added in and the music starts having more of a Finnish folk music feeling while also having a more melodic black metal sound being mixed in.

Vorna display a great amount of talent and skill with their music and their approach to melodic black metal really stands out with they way they mix blast beats, synths and melody along with the folk music of their homeland and I can see a bright future for this band.

Song lyrics are written in Finnish and cover nature, myths, and struggles of minds and emotions, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording as well as some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Vorna are a very great sounding melodic black metal band with elements of folk music and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Hiiden Taival" "Kaivatun Taiva" "Ikuiseen Itaan" and "Muisto". 8/5 out of 10.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Frostland Darkness are a 1 man band from Finland that plays a very old school form of black metal and this is a review of his 2013 album "Ad Moriendum Gratia" which was released by Inverse Records.

The album starts out with grim black metal vocals before going into some raw old school guitar riffing along with drums and after a few minutes the music goes into a more mid paced direction and then speeding up with blast beats before returning to a slower direction.

When the album goes into the nest song clean playing are melody are added into the music before going into a heavier direction along with some faster parts being utilized at times which leads to the whole album mixing fast and slow parts together and you can hear a great amount of early 90's Norwegian black metal influences being utilized on this record and the last song is all instrumental.

While there is not much in the way of originality Frostland Darkness seems to know his old school black metal very well and his fast stuff brings back the rawer elements of early 90's black metal, while the slower stuff utilizes a great amount of sorrow and darkness.

Song lyrics are written in Finnish and cover darkness, cold and ritualistic themes, while the production has a very dark, raw and old school sound that goes back to the early 90's along with most of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion Frostland Darkness are a very great sounding old school black metal project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Reinaaja" "Tuhon Kirkkaudessa" and "Rituaali". 8 out of 10.

Nox Ultima are a band from Finland that plays an diverse and original form of occult black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "From Delirium To Catharsis" which was released by Inverse Records.

The album starts out with fast, raw and primitive black metal guitar riffs along with blast beats from the drums and the music goes for a more old school approach and a few seconds alter the music slows down a bit and grim vocals along with dark sounding melodies are added into the music and then the music starts combining fast and slow parts together as well as bringing in powerful sounding bass guitars.

As the album progresses the music sticks to a more old school sound while also adding both deep and high pitched elements to the vocals and the album also starts getting more melodic in certain sections and when solos are finally added in they bring in traces of classic metal and you can also hear elements of old school death metal being added in at times with some growling.

After awhile the music starts getting more diverse and you can hear thrash influences coming into the album as well as some doom metal in the slower sections but for the most part the music sticks to mostly an old school black metal direction while having a variety of many different elements.

Nox Ultima show a good amount of diversity and talent with their music and they take an old school form of occult black metal and mix in early elements of thrash, death and doom along with a good amount of melody to create an album that is very classic sounding yet original.

Song lyrics cover Occultism, Philosophy, Psychology, Neo Paganism and Shamanism, while t he production has a very dark, raw, heavy and old school sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Nox Ultima are a very great sounding diverse and original old school occult black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Contagion" "Cult Of Ghouls" and "Worldburning". 9 out of 10.

Neige Morte are a band from France that plays a hard to classify form of black metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "Bicephaale" which was released by Consouling Sounds.

The album begins with ambient style drones which are actually done by guitars and after a couple of minutes it goes into a more raw and fast black metal direction along with some demented sounding screams as well as slowing down and adding in powerful bass and post metal elements which also leads to a more experimental direction while also remaining heavy all at the same time.

As the album progresses the music gets more experimental and tribal along with a small amount of demonic growls but it remains heavy and dark as well as adding in melody and when solos are brought onto the record they bring in a progressive feeling to the recording and on the third song the black metal elements start to take over again.

When the album goes into the 4th song noise elements start making their way in along with acoustic guitars and on the following song you can also hear doom metal influences being mixed in with depressive black metal and the last song the music returns to a faster and more grim direction while also keeping around some of the more slow and experimental parts as well as adding in avant garde style acoustic guitars.

On these 6 songs Neige Morte bring in a lot of elements while being heavily rooted in black metal and they also show they are no afraid to be experimental and original as well as making each song song very different from each other.

Song lyrics are written in a mixture of French and English and cover dark themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording as well as some of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion Neige Morte are a very great sounding hard to classify black metal band and if are looking for something original, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Death Shall have No Dominion" and "Eater of Soul". 8/5 out of 10.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Zinuum are a 1 man band from Spain that has been featured before in this zine and does both black metal and ambient recordings and this is a review of the third volume in his "Ambient Works" series and was self released in 2014.

The ep starts out very silently with some background sounds before getting louder and bringing in drones along with some synths a few seconds later and a few minutes later drums are added into the music and the ep also gets a lot more diverse during its short 11 minutes.

Song themes cover darkness and paganism, while the production has a very dark sound with the only song present on this recording being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great soundign recording from Zinuum and if you are a fan of ambient droen, you should check out this ep. 8 out of 10.